BIOQUAL plans to expand its preliminary demonstration that the patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas) can be infected with the human pathogen Helicobacter pylori. This makes the patas a candidate as a model for studying H. pylori associated gastric pathologies and the evaluation of treatments to eradicate this bacteria. Further, BIOQUAL hypotheses that the patas will be a useful model for understanding the relationship between H. pylori and gastric cancer. Phase I of this project will be inoculation of six patas monkeys with H. pylori and the analysis of the colonization of the bacteria in the animals by histologic analysis, microbiologic culturing, DNA fingerprinting, serology, and to evaluate the host inflammatory and immunologic responses. Phase I will provide the foundation for Phase II studies designed to evaluate the progression of H. pylori associated peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. In addition, current antibiotic therapies will be evaluated as methods to eradicate the bacteria from the animal. The commercial value of this program would be the provision of a nonhuman primate model to the scientific community which could be used to evaluate the efficacy of vaccines and chemotherapies for eradication of H. pylori and treatment of associated pathologies. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: Provision of a nonhuman primate model for the study of H. pylori. The model could be used for final stage animal studies of the efficacy of vaccines and chemotherapies for the eradication of the bacteria in human and treatment of the effects in humans of H. pylori.